The town dump is also the public works garage. While emptying the leaves out of my Toyota 4Runner, a long line of the town employees’ pick-up trucks caught my eye and reminded me of the power of culture on human behavior. It taught me a powerful lesson.

Here are the three things grabbed my attention:

• All of the public works employees drove trucks.
• Almost all of them seem to be excited about Dodge trucks.
• And they all seemed to enjoy backing their trucks into their parking spots.

Interesting behavior- either they all discussed the fastest way to get out of dodge as the clock hits 4:00 pm, or there is some other less conspicuous agent at work.

This is a simple but powerful picture of the effect that peers have on our behavior in the workplace – the power of culture.

The funny thing is that if their employer insisted they buy Dodge trucks and park them as shown in the picture…the bossman might end up in the leaf pile (I’ve seen these guys; they’re no sissies). If there wasn’t a physical reaction, there would certainly be complaints of micro management and “Who the [blank] are you to tell me what to drive and how to park!”

I’m not sure how long it actually took for this fleet of vehicles to fall into line, but I am certain that it was voluntary, and that each of the participants came to what they thought were strong individualistic conclusions about the best dang vehicle to drive, and the best direction to park them in. The fact is that our peers in the staffing industry have a profound influence and can change how we behave for better or worse – changes we are barely conscious of. This is the awesome power of culture.

What type of culture is driving the undercurrents of behavior in your staffing firm?

Contact us about how we can help you develop the most efficient processes and support you in creating a more high performing culture within your staffing firm with your staffing software and technology.

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• Email: dave@astusa.com